Moon
The moon is the largest visible heavenly body that moves across the sky of Arden. Names Menë, Luna, Lunas, Sel, Selas, Selenë, Isil, Sil, Silva, Sulva, Ithil, Taia, Heka, Nûlukh Substance The moon is said by some to be a world habitable like the earth, but wizards report otherwise from attempting to teleporting there and many have not come back. Thus it is the conclusion of magi that the moon is a forsaken wilderness, much like magic-torn battlefields found on Arden. It is conjectured that because moonlight has special properties that the moon is made of gray and purple magical crystal that shines its powers down on the ground. The crystal can change colors, leading to orange, red, and blue moons. Moonlore Lunar dieties can be female or male across different cultures. The crescent symbolizes the moon regardless of phase. Nearly all calendars are based off the lunar cycle to some degree. Many cultures link the moon and its influence to females' menstrual cycle and words for it often derive from the root for moon. Vampires and other creatures of darkness are more active during the new moon, due to the reduced light, and least active during the full moon because of the brightness that can occur. The undead are also more active and more readily rise. Dark magic is slightly stronger during the new moon so witches can be more active in their spellweaving as well. Travelers make consumptive offerings at roadside shrines for protection at night during the new moon. Some werebeasts that can transfrom with any light of the moon are unable to do so during the new moon. The moon can sometimes have a face-like appearance to its surface. This has led the legend of the Man in the Moon, who is sometimes thought to be a literal person living on it. Whether or not there may be an wizard who successfully teleported and found shelter underground, there is a massive spirit that can manifest as a face and peer down on Arden. Wizards have attempted to appirate to the moon with deadly results. It is thought to be a desolate and harsh wasteland where magic is either absent or runs wild. People greatly exaggerate the effects of moonlight on the mind, regardless of the phase of the moon. There is a Nysian woman said to be living on the moon since she was banished there 3000 years ago. She dwells there with jade and golden moon rabbits with opposable thumbs that grind alchemical ingredients for her in primitive mortars and pestles made of moonrock. The woman is said to have have drank the elixir of life as a girl newlywed and as a result banished to the moon. With a combination of elixirs and potions that sustain and alter her life, she may very well have been teleported there and able to survive. Some believe magi when they say the moon is a forsaken land and thus further conclude that this is the result of the great battles of gods or ancient heroes. The word mooncalf can be used to refer to a number of creatures born out of the influence of moonlight. Moonbats are bats that appear otherwise like normal bats, but during the full moon grow in size and hunger after enmity and resentment. In this state they can smell the emotions of a person and seek them out to feed on them. Selenite (not to be confused with moonstone) is a clear stone found in Hamazan that glows brighter and dimmer with wax and waning of the moon.Page 81, The Reckoning of Time, Bede https://books.google.com/books?id=yFsw-Vaup6sC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Moonlight Moonlight has magical properties that differentiate it from sunlight or other forms of radiated light. Some of its effects are: *Changing werewolves at full moon *Creating mooncalves *Revealing ithildin *Enchanting moon letters *Altering the mind and causing night blindness after sleeping in its direct light *Causing the formation of moonmilk in caves *In concentration: **Revealing the invisible **Returning the transfigured to their original form Associated Spells *Moonbeam *Moon Letter Enchantment (Dweomer) Full Moon Names A Blue Moon is an additional moon that occurs within a year. Far less often, certain conditions can cause the moon to actually glow blue. The rarity of this event led to an additional moon in a solar cycle being called "blue". Sources http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Moon-letters https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_moon#Harvest_and_hunter.27s_moons http://www.time-meddler.co.uk/anglo-saxon-lunar.html http://www.almanac.com/content/full-moon-names https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonlight https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon#In_culture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_in_fiction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_moon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_rabbit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetshine#Earthshine Category:Arden Category:Planets Category:Astronomy Category:Moonlight Category:Astrology